Rather Die Tomorrow
by Katie 4 Clorith
Summary: After their date, Cloud and Aeris have a little heart to heart. Contains spoilers for the game


Rather Die Tomorrow

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot for this one-shot.

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Aeris lay in the uncomfortable mattress of the Ghost Hotel, staring at the dull ceiling. Moonlight was sneaking through a small gap in her curtains, coating one part of the floor in a eerie light. Her mind was filled with loads of thoughts. She had dragged Cloud out on a date earlier and it was fun. However, it was ruined when they found out that Cait Sith was the spy. But the last thought didn't last long and was quickly filled with memories of her night with Cloud. She wanted more than what had happened tonight. She wanted to tell him how she felt. She threw her covers off, knowing that it was likely for him to be awake even at this hour. She tiptoed past everyone else's rooms, not wanting to disturb them and gently knocked on his door.

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Cloud looked to his door when he heard a soft knock. He smiled slightly, somehow knowing who it would be. He opened the door and his thoughts were confirmed. Aeris smiled at him when he opened the door.

"Can I come in?" She asked softly. Cloud nodded, stepping aside to let her past. He shut the door, noting that his hands had grown strangely sweaty. He turned around and stifled a gasp. Aeris was sitting on the end of his bed, the pale moonlight illuminating her body in such an alluring way. It made her hair shine and showed her eyes within the darkness of the room. For a moment, they stared at each other before Cloud looked to the ground.

"So, um, why did you…?" Cloud started before Aeris interrupted.

"I need to talk to you Cloud." She said sharply. Cloud looked at her in a frightened way, wondering what she could say. He cleared his throat and sighed, thinking this was an opportunity to say what he wanted to say.

"Yeah, we do." He agreed quietly. She tilted her head to the side, causing half of her face to be covered in darkness. It was quite a beautiful sight if Cloud was being honest. She was silent for a few seconds before she looked away from him.

"You go first." She said. Cloud glanced at her but she still avoided his gaze. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked to the door.

"Aeris, I…well, you and me. No. I mean…what I'm trying to say is…" He stopped and closed his eyes. What was wrong with him? Since when did he trip on his words?

_Since you're around her_. His mind replied.

Aeris looked to him then, her emerald eyes shimmering but not through laughter but through gentle kindness. She smiled encouragingly to him, giving him confidence to continue.

"Aeris, you mean a lot to me. It seems that when you're near me…well, it's different from everyone else. I don't get this…feeling." He explained, frowning at his inability to speak. Aeris brushed her hair out of her eyes as she tried to fight her blush. Cloud was saying that she was special, different from the rest of the group. That might not mean he loved her but it was something. She turned to him, watching as he looked away and he seemed to be deep in thought. She took a breath and was ready to reply when he spoke first.

"That's why I want you to go back to Midgar." Her smile dropped and her eyes went wide. He turned to see her expression and he felt sick at the hurt and confusion burning in her eyes. She stood up, looking away and then towards him. Her mouth opened and closed before finally she seemed able to speak.

"Why?" Her voice sounded so hurt that Cloud cringed, knowing that he was the cause. "I don't understand."

"You mean too much to me Aeris." Cloud insisted, taking a step towards her. But as he moved, Aeris moved back out of his reach. Cloud sighed and grabbed her arm, keeping a gentle hold on it.

"Aeris, it's because you mean so much to me that I want you to go to Midgar. I don't want you to get hurt."

"What about Tifa? She gets to go with you everywhere." Aeris spat, blinking back the tears she didn't even know had formed.

"I don't want Tifa getting hurt either." Cloud argued. He moved his hand from her arm onto her own hand. She watched his as it moved before looking into his eyes. They seemed to look up at the same time, sapphire and emerald orbs burning with identical emotions.

"I don't want you to die." He whispered, looking away once more. Aeris blinked at the words. What gave him the idea that she would die? As if reading her mind, Cloud explained.

"It's not that you can't look after yourself." He assured her. "It's just, I don't think I would ever cope if anything happened to you. If I had never taken you from Midgar…" He started before she made an irritated sound.

"Cloud, if you hadn't taken me from Midgar, you wouldn't even know me."

"Maybe that would be a good thing because then, when this was over, I could have seen you again in Midgar." Aeris shook her head, cupping his cheek up to make him look at her.

"Cloud," She started softly, a small smile on her face. "I'd rather die tomorrow, than live a hundred years without knowing you." He stared at her for a moment before his senses life him and the next thing either of them knew, was that they were locked in a passionate kiss that let out the emotions they had hidden for so long. Cloud pulled away and Aeris' eyes fluttered open as she let out a small sigh.

"Aeris I…" he began but she pressed a finger to his lips and smiled.

"I know." She whispered. She knew what he wanted to say and she knew how hard it was to speak about his emotions.

"I love you too." She added. He let a rare smile spread across his face and hugged her tightly.

"I don't want to lose you." He said. Aeris closed her eyes as she nuzzled her cheek against his shoulder.

"You won't lose me." She assured him before pulling back and stoking his soft golden locks.

"It doesn't matter what happens to us, or how far apart we may be because I'll always love you." She admitted, causing him to smile. She smiled back as he moved to kiss her again.

"I'm always with you." She whispered as he pecked her lips and then moved to her neck. Her eyes closed slowly as she gave in to his touch.

"Always."

Little did Cloud know that he would need to reflect on those words so soon.

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A.N: I watch too much Pocahontas lol

This is my first time writing Cloud and Aeris and my first story on this site. It's a little different from places I have updated stories before(stories were original, creative stories) but I still hope you like it.

Cloud and Aeris are the best!

I'd love it if you reviewed but you know, whatever.

Katie xx


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